In focus

This International Women's Day, Kita Devi and her friends had a lot to celebrate!

Zhurram, 30 something, hails from Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. Dressed in a salwar kameez, she is sitted on a bench, engrossed in copying some letters written on a black-board. Sitting besides her on the same bench is Indravati Berma (24), a mother of two and native of Basti, a district in Uttar Pradesh. On the bench behind them is Zannathan Nisha Ali, also from Basti and Rukma Saren from Karnataka.

In a tiny class room of a dilapidated government school building in Borda, some three kilometeres from the commercial town of Margao, the lives of these women are getting transformed. Thanks to the Chalo School Mega Drive initiative, women in their 30s and  40s, all from the migrant population, are able to read, write and do math. The education of these women is the beginning of a virtuous cycle, for themselves, their families and the entire community. For educating a woman means transforming lives of her family and community -- a most effective way to achieve positive change for everyone.

"An educated woman provides better nutrition, health care, and education for her family. Education enables a woman to take greater control of her life and gain inclusion in decision-making processes thereby impacting her family’s and community’s wellbeing," says professor Dr. Gunaji S Desai, the leading light behind this adult literacy initiative. "Education is globally acknowledged as the most powerful means of empowering women and protecting them from the violation of their human rights.

Yet many women remain devoid of education," he adds.

Dr. Desai, along with his wife Shubangi, is mentoring this initiative. Since the past two years, they have been able to  make some 30 women capable of reading, writing and counting. Dr. Desai says that there are real practical concerns when women are illiterate. This concern made him convince some two dozen mothers of students of the government primary school to attain basic literacy. "I saw them wasting their time outside the school gate, while waiting to take home their wards after school. They used thumb impression for signatures," he recalls.

This disturbed Dr. Desai who convinced them to learn to write so that they may sign the performance sheets of their wards. "When they agreed, the wheel was set in motion," he  smiles. Women are the main caregivers. When women are illiterate, they are less likely to use health services, says Shubangi. "I appeal to these women to talk to more women like them about the importance of education," she adds. Typically, this adult literacy initiative is focused on reading, writing and arithmetic.

This initiative is giving illiterate women a second chance to read and write. For example is Priya, a native of Bihar and and Premasundari Pathak from Kolkata who never went to school. Both admit that being illiterate caused huge problems in their daily life. "I dropped out of school and never thought education was important because girls in my native village were never encouraged to go to school," laments Priya.
"Today, I am happy. My in-laws have no issue with me learning to read and write. My husband is encouraging me. Back home, my parents are also happy," says Premasundari.

Kita Devi, 30 something is another student. Her parents did not send her to school, and she could not read or write. "I started classes last year and today I can read a little and sign.  Besides, building on their reading and writing skills together in a relaxed, informal setting, these women are also learning to become confident and independent. "I can count without help," she says feeling lucky about her chance at education. “I didn’t realise the importance of education. Now I ensure my daughters go to school regularly,” she Devi.

What's more! A confident Zhurram keeps herself abreast with current affairs or atleast about her home town. says, “I know that my Illahabad is now known as Prayagraj. And that it is the most populous district in my home state," she quips while adding, "I can read the board on the bus and know where it is going. I cab read the electricity and water bill. I know to book the gas cylinder. Now nobody can cheat me.”
Priya, who has been attending the classes from inception feels empowered. “After attending these classes, I am not only able to read and write but also differentiate between wrong and right. I now know that we should not differntiate between a daughter and a son. That both have equal right to education," she expresses adding, "My children feel proud of me now."

Females constitute about half the country’s human resource but lack of education snatches their chance to be a part of the progress and development of India. This means our pace of progress is less than the required pace. Even if females do not use education to work, total illiteracy has a huge negative impact on our society. An initiative like the one headed by Dr. Desai helps real emancipation even as such efforts needs to be applauded this International Women's Day.

Courtesy: EVESCAPE Women Features, Goa

(This article was published in Gomantak Times, Goa on March 16, 2019)